Paraguay: Homophobic remarks by a minister add to the government's anti-gender agenda
In the same week, the Minister of Agriculture made homophobic remarks, and in Congress, the ruling party proposed repealing the comprehensive law for the protection of women.
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Paraguay is experiencing a worrying setback in terms of inclusion and the protection of fundamental rights. From the homophobic rhetoric of the Minister of Agriculture to the attempts by the Cartes faction in the Senate to censor and repeal laws protecting women, the country faces significant challenges regarding human rights.
"I don't want to know about anyone with homosexual tendencies in this school."
Journalists captured on video the homophobic speech given by the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Giménez. It happened at the opening of the school year at the Santa Rosa del Aguaray Agricultural School. There, he discriminated against and threatened to expel LGBTQ+ students. “I don’t want to know about anyone with homosexual tendencies in this school,” he said, and applause erupted.
Earlier, he was referring to the agreement with the Minister of Defense to subject students to military training. “ Today, the trend in modernization is relativism. A man is a man, and a woman is a woman . But anyone who is lost and doesn't know where they are isn't allowed in any agricultural school, and we're going to expel them,” he emphasized.
The message generated significant repercussions on social media, and the President's office had to issue a statement condemning it. Minister Giménez apologized for the "misinterpretations of his message."
The LGBTI+ coalition, along with other organizations defending sexual and gender diversity, demanded his resignation. They reiterated that education and non-discrimination are fundamental rights enshrined in the National Constitution. President Santiago Peña stated that he does not support the Minister's remarks, but Giménez will remain in his position.
César López Bosio, a man with a gay son, posted a letter addressed to Peña Nieto. In the message, which quickly went viral, he clearly explains the implications of an Agriculture Minister fostering hatred at an agricultural school.
“Mr. President, instead of issuing threats and discriminating against those with different sexual orientations with hate speech, your Minister of Agriculture should be promoting production and training people so they can engage in lawful activities and be good citizens ,” he writes.
Conservative activists thanked the minister
Pro-life activists from the Paraguayan Federation of Parents in Action (FRENVIFA) and FENAPEP issued a statement yesterday thanking the Minister. “We do not want gender ideology in schools and colleges, and we do not want people who support these ideas involved in our children's education .
Among its leaders is the evangelical pastor Miguel Ortigoza, who has been campaigning for years from an evangelical NGO and the technical committee of parents of the Ministry of Education and Science for a conservative education based on religious and anti-scientific principles.
Cross-complaints
On February 14, senators aligned with the Colorado Party and their allies removed former opposition senator Kattya González from office less than a year after she was elected with over 100,000 votes. During that session, Senator Norma Aquino of the National Crusade party—more commonly known as Yamy Nal—who recently confirmed her move to the ruling party, stated that González had a “dangerous tendency against freedom of expression .” She maintained that she had been a victim of violence at the hands of the senator. She was one of the 23 people who voted for González's expulsion.
Since then, there have been numerous cases of attempted press censorship and misuse of Law No. 5.777/16, which provides comprehensive protection for women against all forms of violence. One example was that of actress, comedian, and ABC Color journalist Letizia Medina, who parodied Yamy Nal on her social media and was subsequently sued by the senator.
They seek to repeal the law protecting women
Yamy Nal invoked Law No. 5,777/16 and argued that this was a clear case of gender-based violence. “I’m concerned that even the Ministry of Women hasn’t commented,” she told the local press. The Paraguayan Network of Women Journalists and Communicators issued a statement denouncing the use of the judicial system to violate the right to freedom of expression and of the press.
On February 24, Paraguayan Women's Day, Basilio Núñez, the leader of the Cartista bloc in the Senate, proposed the repeal of Law No. 5,777/16. He argued that the Law is unconstitutional, that femicides have increased since the year of its enactment (when femicide was named as such), and that women have easier access to protection measures than men.
The Public Defender's Office provided legal support to 4,614 women victims of violence in 2023. 787 concluded their processes and 3,827 are in process before the different instances of the justice system for the protection and access to justice such as Justice of the Peace Courts, Criminal Courts of Guarantees and the Public Prosecutor's Office.
Last year, the Senate declared a national emergency due to femicides. According to data from the Ministry of Women's observatory, 2023 ended with 45 femicides. The Center for Documentation and Studies (CDE), which conducts an independent count, recorded 48. Both sources agree that, in the last four years, these crimes have been perpetrated mostly by the victims' partners or ex-partners.
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